Learning From The Most Unlikely Sources

If I were to pick a profession
in the performing arts more
difficult than being a professional
musician, it would be that of a
stand-up comic. This is open to
debate—because mimes are a
close second—but think about
how terrifyingly difficult it is to
make it in that business: Just like
musicians, comics drive themselves
all over the country, staying
in crappy hotels so they can play
one- or two-nighters. But comics
have to do it all alone. And inspiration
and motivation can be hard
to come by without any outside
help. That’s a little disheartening.

Luckily, we musicians have
chosen a path that puts us in a
constant working relationship
with many people. The stand-up
comic walks into a club and
does his thing. Not much needed
there. We musician types, on
the other hand, need a team of
people to get things moving. The
team may be as small as you and
your front-of-house engineer,
or it could be of Rolling Stones’
proportion, with more than 200
people on the road. The point is,
no matter how hard you try, you
can’t do it all by yourself. And
here’s the thing: Being with others
breeds new ways of thinking.

Once in a while, you’ll find a
crew of people that make every
night great. There’s nothing like
a band and crew that can put
it all together and find a flow. I
was once told that the definition
of “groove” is the path of least
resistance. Whoever came up with
that was right on when talking
about music, and they were especially
correct when it comes to a
“working” groove. When all you
have to do is play and not worry
about anything else, it really
makes for a good night.

But that just scratches the
surface of how valuable a good
tour crew really is—and how they
can help you become better. As
we strive to improve our sound
or our playing, sometimes we
overlook the most obvious source
of illumination—our own crew.
There is a wealth of information
sitting right in front of you. Just
talk to the guys you play with.
Something as simple as a conversation
over coffee can change it
all for you. And since they are not
bass players, it makes it that much
better. Talking with the different
people in your touring entourage
can open your eyes and ears to
a whole new approach to your
instrument—even if they may not
be the first ones you would normally
talk about music to.

Let’s take the front-of-house
engineer, for example. You may
not realize it, but he is the most
important person in your band.
A good one is worth his weight
in gold, and a great one is rare
indeed. Sadly, the crowd has
no idea why your band sounds
good or bad, and it is all in his
hands. Now, listen to him. If he
mixes well, then you will know
pretty quickly, and that means
he knows a thing or two about
sound. Like your sound. I love
talking tone with engineers.
We talk about everything from
frequencies and line arrays to
harmonic overtones and standing
bass waves (all of which helps in
my studio setup as well). This
isn’t the FOH engineer’s first gig
either, so hearing stories of other
bass players’ approaches and setups
is enlightening.

Another guy I like to talk to
is our bus driver. If you aren’t on
a bus, then I apologize for bringing
it up, but these guys really
are great. Drivers sometimes
change from week to week, so
I’ll sit in the jump seat and start
up a conversation, and hopefully
learn a little something.
The older ones seem like they’ve
been driving forever, and time
in this business makes for better
stories. Our last driver was buddies
with Roy Orbison and was
in the studio for the “Oh, Pretty
Woman” session. He also toured
and played bass for 20 years, but
to anyone else he’s just the quiet
driver getting us from point A
to point B. Sometimes you just
never know. All drivers say the
same thing—“I’ll be here a lot
longer than this artist will.” And
sadly, it’s almost always true.
There’s another lesson in there.

But if you want to get back to
the players in your band and talk
music, start with your drummer.
The two of you are the foundation,
and musically you should
be on the same page. If your
favorite music and his aren’t the
same, then open your ears and
see what makes the other player
tick. I’ve heard of guys trading
tapes (or loading and swapping
flash drives) and then getting
back together to compare notes.
It’s this musical growth that
brings the rhythm section closer
together and makes for more fun
at soundcheck. Again, hitting that
groove is a special thing.

Another unlikely source of
musical knowledge can be the
fans. They do come out and
see you play, so hopefully you
appreciate their taste. I am
always hearing from music fans
about new bands and players,
and it almost never fails that
after a few minutes with a true
music listener, I discover songs
I’ve never heard before. All of it
goes in the melting pot.

So branch out and ask questions,
especially of the people you
work with but never thought to
ask. You may be surprised at the
things you discover. Some of my
best bass advice has come from
the craziest sources. And, more
importantly, you may even find
out that pesky monitor engineer
is a pretty good guy after all and
that he knows a thing or two
about vintage P basses. It doesn’t
hurt to find out. And if you make
a new friend along the way, even
better. If all else fails, you can
both go to mime school.

Steve Cook is currently
fortifying himself
in the back of a tour
bus, awaiting the low-end
revolution. He can
be reached at info@shinybass.com until the
coast is clear.

Steve Cook started as a touring bass player when printed maps were the only way to get there. His extensive studio and touring credits run the gamut from rock to jazz to country. Also a busy producer and WWII aviation junkie, he welcomes you to reach out via Twitter @shinybass.

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